Runaways: Cloud
by AlphaMike369
Summary: Naruto and Hinata are fed up with how they're treated and decide to leave the village, where they met people who will shape their lives. Part of my Runaways series.
1. Chapter 1 Runaways

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of runaway stories where Naruto and Hinata travel to one of the Hidden Villages! Each story will share this first chapter, but afterwards they diverge into different tales, and how the characters turn out will depend on where they go and who they met.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Chapter 1 Runaways

Naruto Uzumaki, age 7, orphan, has survived yet another beating at the hands of the villagers. And this was one of the bad ones. In the good ones, either the white-haired ANBU Dog or another named Weasel would stop them quickly, leaving Naruto with only a few bruises. But neither showed showed up today. In fact, the last time Naruto saw Weasel, he was leaving the village the night of the Uchiha Massacre. Strange.

So, without his protectors there was no one to stop the villagers from turning him into their personal punching bag.

Self-defense was out of the question! He tried that once, and suddenly HE was the aggressor, or at least that was how everyone else would see it. They already thought he was a monster for reasons unknown to him, no need to make it worse. Calling for help was a no go too! Almost everyone either ignored it or joined in.

As far as he knew, only five people cared for him: Dog, Weasel, Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen, and the Hokage. Months after the orphanage kicked him out, the Hokage got him a small apartment. It wasn't much, but it kept him dry when it rained and gave him a bed to sleep in. Teuchi and Ayame were the only ones who didn't kick him out of their venture nor did they overcharge him for rotten goods. It's one of the reasons Naruto always ate ramen. That and it was just so good!

None of the other kids hung out with him because their parents told them not too. Anyone whom he tried to get close to would either reject him or be pulled away from him. As a result, he had no friends.

Now the young blonde was limping home. The boy's nose was broken and bleeding, his right eye swollen and his green goggles broken. His white shirt was torn and covered in dirt and some blood stains. There were cuts and bruises on upper body, and Naruto could tell he had a few cracked ribs. His right shoulder was dislocated and his arms hung at his sides, also covered in bruises and cuts. His orange pants were also in tatters His left ankle was twisted so he had to shift his weight to his right.

Normally, when someone is injured like this, they go to the hospital, but Naruto wouldn't risk it. The doctors and nurses didn't like him either, which was why he always wanted someone he trusted to stay with him whenever he went. However, the Hokage was in an important meeting, and he had no idea where the others were since Ichiraku closed early that day.

By the time Naruto got home, most of his cuts and bruises were gone and he felt his ribs fixing themselves. He never understood where his healing factor came from, but he was thankful for it.

Before entering his apartment, Naruto slammed his dislocated shoulder against the door, popping it back into place. "Owwwww!" he yelled. Once he enter, he crashed onto his couch and grunted painfully as he worked on his ankle.

' _Why? I don't get it! Sure I've pulled a couple of pranks, but none of those justify this kind of punishment! Besides, they hated me before I started pranking, so what is it?'_

Naruto thought hard, but couldn't think of anything he did. And it infuriated him as much as it infuriated him that he was too weak to do anything about how he was treat. ' _One day, I'll be strong and people will acknowledge me for me and start treating me with respect!'_ Naruto thought optimistically.

' _But…'_ A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ' _I can't get stronger here. Not with the way people treat me. The teachers don't help me at all! And… I'm scared that one day, one of the villagers will actually kill me. Even if it's not their intention, one might accidentally go too far. I, I gotta leave.'  
_ -

"Get up!" Hiashi commanded as his eldest daughter laid on the ground. He had literally trained her to the ground and he was disappointed by her performance. "I said GET UP!"

"F-father… please" Hinata pleaded between breaths. Hiashi had been relentless the entire training session. A few of her chakra points were closed and his last blow damaged her lungs. "I… I can… b-barely… breathe… and… m-move."

"Is this all you've got? How disappointing! You're my heir and yet you're weaker than a Branch Family member!"

"I… I'm sor…"

"SILENCE!" Hiashi yelled. "You're always falling short! Your weakness is a disgrace! YOU are a disgrace! A disgrace to me, and a disgrace to our clan!" Hiashi turns away and stops at the door. "Take her to the doctor," he told the Branch member next to him. "I want her in healed in time for training tomorrow." The servant nodded and did as he was told.

Meanwhile Kō, Hinata's caretaker, approach the clan head. He had short, brown hair, white, pupil less eyes, and wore a black kimono. "Pardon me sir, but don't you think you're being a little, um, rough with her? She's only 7 after all."

"If she's to take my place as head of our clan, she needs to toughen up, or the elders will walk all over her," Hiashi answered.

"But calling her a disgrace? Don't you think that'll have an adverse affect on her?"

"On the contrary, it'll give her the motivation to prove me wrong. Now I have some work to do in my office." Hiashi walked away to his office.

' _I hope you're right sir, for Hinata's sake,'_ Kō thought.  
-

The doctors managed to reopen Hinata's chakra points and heal her lung. Luckily, it only sustained minor damage, though she was told not to do anything too strenuous for a while. Unfortunately, knowing her father, tomorrow he would be just as hard on her, if not harder.

Currently, she was in her room, sitting on her bed, crying as her father's words repeated in her head. " _You are a disgrace! Disgrace… Disgrace"_ That word echoed in her mind. Was she really that bad, that weak? Her father seemed to think so.

Or maybe it's something else. Is he mad at her for being kidnapped, like Neji? After all, it resulted in the death of his brother Hizashi. Or maybe he was taking out his frustrations from the loss of Hitomi.

Whatever the reason, Hinata couldn't take it anymore! ' _If, if all I am is a disappointment, then maybe I should leave! Yeah, I'll runaway! That way, I don't have to suffer anymore, and father doesn't have to deal with me.'_

Drying her tears, Hinata started to pack some clothes, then got ready for dinner. ' _I'll leave when it's dark, after dinner. It'll give me cover. And besides, it may be a while before I can take a nice hot bath and have a good meal.  
_ -

Naruto was dressed in his orange jumpsuit, a large, black bag slung over his right sholder. He pack a spare set of clothes, a canteen, his broken goggles, and as much instant ramen as he could fit in there as well as the supplies to cook it. The inside of his apartment was had a bunch of explosive tags he 'borrowed'. He didn't like doing it, but it was necessary since no one would sell him any, and not just because of his status in the village.

Now, Naruto waited near the gate in the shadows, out of sight. As he waited for for his distraction, he found himself thinking about what he was leaving. Despite the pain caused by the villagers, he had some good memories. Idle chat with old man Hokage, ramen at Ichiraku, ice cream with Weasel (though Weasel never had any), the time Dog got him his green goggles for his fifth birthday, the time he got orange paint all over Iruka-sensei, and sitting on top of the stone head of his idol, the Fourth Hokage.

It may be years before got to do any of that. But he made up his mind. He was gonna leave. He was gonna get stronger. And maybe one day, he'll return, if only to see the few friends he had. And eat tons of Ichiraku ramen of course.

Unbeknownst to him, however, another runaway was a short distance away.  
-

Hinata waited near Naruto's location in a similar fashion, though neither knew the other was there. She wore her cream-colored jacket and blue paints. Around her neck was a necklace with the Yin Yang symbol on it. It was given to her by her mother on her third birthday. She had a dark blue bag over her right shoulder with food, a canteen, colored contact lenses, spare clothes, her medical cream, a ruined red scarf, and a picture of her four year old self, her mother, and her father.

And now as she waited for an opening, she too thought about what she was leaving. Kō would have a heart attack when he learned of her departure. He had cared for her since she was nearly kidnapped. And then there was her little sister, Hanabi. She was only 2 years old and she was leaving her to their father.

But like Naruto, she made her decision and she was sticking to it. Besides, Hiashi seemed to favor Hanabi anyway.

Suddenly, an explosion could be heard in the distance, which drew the attention of most of the surrounding shinobi, leaving only two chunin to guard the gate. ' _Well, that was lucky. I wonder what's up with that explosion, though?'_

The two chunin looked in the direction of the explosion to see smoke rising. The one on the left had long, spiky, black hair, a bandage that ran over the bridge of his nose, and dark eyes. The other one had long, brown hair that covered his right eye, dark eyes, and wore his protector like a bandana.

"Hey, Kotetsu," the brown-haired one said. " What do you think that was?"

"No idea, Izumo," he answered. "Should we go check it out?"

"Course not! We have to guard the gate in case whoever did that tries to escape!"

Suddenly, they heard a noise to the far left. "What was that?" Kotetsu asked.

"Might be whoever is responsible for that explosion. Stay here! I'll go check." Shortly after Izumo left, Kotetsu heard another noise to the far right. "Huh, is there another one?" He left to check it out.

As soon as both chunin were out of sight, the two children ran to the gate. They froze once they saw each other.

' _Huh? Who is she and what's she doing here?'_ Naruto see the pack on her back. ' _Is she running away too?'_ Naruto thought.

Hinata, however, recognised him. "N-Naruto?!"

Before either could question the other's presence further, they heard the chunin returning and ran through the gate and out of sight. Once they were far enough away they stopped and turned to one another. "Ok, I think it's safe to stop here," Naruto said. Sitting on the nearest rock, he ask, "So, um, you know my name but I don't know your's. So, who are you?"

"O-oh, right. I, I guess I n-never told y-you my n-name last w-winter." Naruto was about to ask what she meant when he finally recognised her. Last winter, during on of the Hidden Leaf's rare snowy winters, he saw a couple of kids picking on her and told them to leave her alone. He pretended to perform a jutsu, then used the confusion to tackle the leader. The bullies dragged him off their leader then beat him up and ruined his red scarf before leaving. Hinata was about to thank him when Kō appeared and told Naruto to get lost. Hinata tried to protest, but Kō interrupted her and said there was something wrong with that boy and that she should stay away from him. He then told her it was time to go but before they left, she picked up Naruto's discarded scarf and took it with her. When asked why she had it, she'd say it was personal.

Back to the present, Hinata introduced herself. "I, I'm H-Hinata Hyūga." Naruto nodded and after a moment of silence, Hinata asked the question on both their minds. "Um, n-not that I m-mind your presence, but, um, w-why are you o-out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Naruto retorted. "I mean, don't you have a family?" Naruto didn't know much about the Hyūga, but he did know they were a big family, something he wished he had, or at least one family member. Not to mention well respected and rich. And there was one more thing. Some kind of power or something. "And what about you friends?" Hinata's face went from nervous to sad, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it…"

"N-no, it's fine." Hinata told a deep breath and continued. "W-well I am, err was, the heiress to the clan, meaning one day, I would have taken over one day."

"Woah, really? That sounds awesome!" Naruto said excitedly. He couldn't see why she would leave.

"Yeah, it does." Hinata said softly. "I u-use to be s-so excited about o-one day l-leading the H-Hyūga Clan. B-but for the last t-two years, my father h-has been, uh excessive, in his training methods."

"Excessive? What do ya mean by that?"

"Um, m-most sessions end with me p-passed out a-and taken to the d-doctor."

"WHAT?!" Naruto was outraged and made no effort to hide it. He always thought a father was suppose to protect and care for his children, not harm them. "Why would he do that?"

"Shhhh! Someone may hear us!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and apologised. "A-as for w-why, I h-have a few suspicions, b-but the point is t-that to him I'm n-nothing but a disgrace." Hinata finished sadly.

"Well, I refuse to believe that! And I know you'll prove me wrong while we travel together!" Naruto said.

"T-t-travel, t-t-together?"

"Of course! No point in both of us leaving alone, ya know. I mean, I don't have anywhere specific to go," Naruto said, excited at the prospect of having a traveling companion and maybe a new friend. "Unless…" Naruto started.

"No, no, no!" Hinata quickly said, then she blushed in embarrassment at her small outburst. "I, I mean, I'd l-love to t-travel w-with y-you."

"ALRIGHT! We're gonna have lots of adventures and get real strong! Believe it!" Naruto shouted before doing a happy dance. Hinata couldn't help but giggled at his antics. Naruto managed to take away her worries, at least for the time being, and her crush on him seemed less then a crush (No, not love, not yet). Naruto then remembered Hinata said earlier about being quiet in case anyone was nearby. Smiling sheepishly, he apologised. "Opps. Sorry, forgot about keeping quiet."

Hinata performed a quick check with her Byakugan and saw no one else was around. "D-don't worry a-about it Naruto. Y-you didn't a-attract any u-unwanted a-attention." Naruto sighed in relief and started rummaging through his bag. Meanwhile, Hinata stared at him. "Um, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Y-you know why I l-left, but um, I d-don't know y-your reason."

Naruto's stopped what he was doing and sighed, , which made Hinata regret her words but before she could take them, he sat back down on the rock he was sitting on earlier. "Hinata, what do you know about me?"

Hinata thought for a moment, thinking back to all the things she heard about him, as well as her personal experience with him. "I know t-that you're an orphan, a-and that y-you l-like to p-pull pranks. And…" she sighed, "A-and for s-some reason, y-you aren't h-held in high r-regard in the village."

"That's putting it mildly," Naruto grumbled quietly, but Hinata still heard him and gave him a questioning look. "Let's just say you're not the who's been in need for medical attention often." he said, looking down.

Hinata's face was struck with horror. "You mean…"

Naruto nodded. "And it wasn't always drunks. A lot of them were very sober. And worse, when people passed by, they would either ignore it, cheer them on, or join in. In fact, in my entire life, I can count the people who care about me on one hand." He raised his hand to show her and started counting down those people. "Old man Hokage, Dog, Weasel," Hinata looked confused til Naruto told her they were ANBU, "Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku. That's it."

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, you have o-one more person," she said, blushing. Naruto looked confused and asked who else. "W-well, uh, m-me."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Hinata."

She blushed deeper. "N-no problem. B-besides, I sh-should be t-thanking you for h-helping me l-last winter."

Naruto continued to look through his bag. "Damn it!"

"W-what's wrong Naruto?"

"Forgot my sleeping bag."

"Oh, s-same here." Hinata said as she thought back to what she packed.

"Oh well, we'll grab some camping stuff at the next town." Hinata nodded and the two of them slept and were lucky no one found them.  
-

"Report," the Hokage told the ANBU in front of him.

"Sir, the explosion was indeed located at the de… err Uzumaki's residence," the ANBU corrected. The Hokage caught it and gave him a glare but then just sighed and motioned for him to continue. "We search the wreckage but found no sign of a body, leading us to believe the child was not at home at the time." The Hokage sighed in relief. Naruto was fine, though homeless once again. He'd have to find him a new one, after punishing the ones responsible for blowing up the first one. "However," the ANBU continued. "We've searched the squad I sent to search for the boy came up empty handed."

"Are you sure the ANBU on that squad are reliable?" The ANBU knew what he meant. Hiruzen wasn't questioning their skill, but because Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, many of his shinobi proved to be unable to separate their duty from their personal feelings in regard to the boy.

"Dog is with them." Dog returned last night shortly before the explosion. In fact, he was in the middle of his mission debrief when Naruto's place exploded.

"Send him to me." The ANBU nodded and disappeared. He then dismissed his hidden bodyguards.

Minutes later, a man with white hair in ANBU armor and a white mask with red lines around the eye holes and two on each side in the middle. "Reporting."

Hiruzen activated the privacy seals in his office. "You can remove your mask, Kakashi." Kakashi nodded and took off his mask. He wore another mask, this one dark blue, that covered his lower face. He took out his forehead protector and wrapped it around his forehead, then lowered part of it to cover his scared, closed left eye. "I'm told you can't find Naruto."

Kakashi nodded. "My nin-dogs were unable to pick up his scent from his home due all the smoke, ash, and residue. It has been determined that the explosion was caused by about ten paper bombs."

"Yes, and thankfully there's no evidence that Naruto was in there when it happened. Hopefully, we find him soon and catch whoever is responsible.

"About that." The Hokage raised his eyebrow. "During our search, a shop keeper came up to us to report some stolen explosive tags. When asked who he thought was the culprit, he said Naruto." The Hokage scoffs. It wouldn't be the first time someone accused Naruto of a crime he didn't commit. "I doubted it too, at first. But then he told me how many were missing. Ten. And he claimed Naruto attempted to buy them earlier. Coupled with the fact that he's nowhere in the village and there has been no trace of an infiltration…"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Kakashi."

"Yes, I am," Kakashi said solemnly. "Naruto may have left the Hidden Leaf. The question is why."

"I'm afraid the answer is quite obvious. The village has completely disregarded Minato's dying wish to have his son seen as a hero. And the few people who do haven't been able to be there for him often. I've been busy as Hokage and you've been busy with the ANBU. And then there's Itachi's betrayal," The Hokage said. A part of him wanted to tell Kakashi the truth of the Uchiha Massacre, but Itachi was adamant that no one know the truth, not even Kakashi, Naruto, and his little brother Sasuke.

"Damn it!" Kakashi said, temporarily forgetting he was in the presence of a Kage. "I've been so busy wallowing in self-pity and throwing myself into my work, that I failed to be there properly for his only child. Sure I was there a few times, but…"

"Enough Kakashi!" Hiruzen shouted. "We're both guilty of failing Naruto. I couldn't keep the fact that he's a Jinchūriki a secret from the public like I did with Kushina. Or like my predecessor, the First Hokage, did with his wife. If I had, things would have been different. But that's neither here nor there! Right now, we need to focus on finding him before anything happens, and I don't need you stuck in regret. So as of right now, your mission is to find Naruto and return him safely to the Leaf!"

"Yes, Lord Third!" And with that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Third Hokage sighed and looked out the window. ' _Naruto, where did you go?'  
_ -

"Kō, please fetch Hinata. She's late for breakfast." Kō nodded and headed for Hinata's room. Hiashi was at the dining room table with Hanabi eating breakfast. Minutes passed before Kō rushed back into the room, a panicked look on his face and a piece of paper in his hand. "What's wrong?" Hiashi asked as he brought his fork up.

"Hinata's gone!"

Hiashi dropped his fork. The noise it made was the loudest thing in the room. Finally, Hiashi spoke. "What do you mean she's gone?" he demanded.

Kō handed him the piece of paper in his hand. It was a letter from Hinata

 _Dear Father,_

 _By the time you read this, I will be gone. I'm sorry but I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure, the injuries, it was too much. I don't know if you're mad at me for the kidnapping or something, so I apologise for anything I did. And don't worry, I took colored contact lenses to hide my Byakugan, so if anyone sees me, none of them will know about my eyes and take them. I don't know if I'll ever return. If not, I want to say that even though you haven't been these last two years, I still love you, father, and I'll miss you. Tell Hanabi and Kō I'm sorry for leaving and that I'll miss them too._

 _Love,_

 _Hinata_

Hiashi's eyes widened as he read Hinata's letter. "Father, what did Kō mean? Is sister not here?"

"Finish your breakfast." Hiashi commanded before motioning for Kō to follow him. They went into his office. Activating his privacy seals, he turned to Kō. "I need you to gather some trustworthy men and find her. And make sure to keep it quiet. I don't want the elders finding out, or they'll use it as an excuse to seal her." Kō nodded and left while Hiashi plopped down into his chair. ' _Hinata, where did you go?'  
_ -

Hinata woke up, wondering why her bed was so hard. Then she looked around and remembered her situation. She had run away and by coincidence, ended up traveling with her crush. Naruto was still asleep and muttering something about ramen, which caused Hinata to giggle.

A few minutes later, Naruto woke up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around and saw Hinata with something in her hands. "Morning, Hinata."

Hinata turned around and started blushing. "Oh, g-good m-morning."

"Whatcha doin?" Naruto asked.

"J-just putting on t-these c-colored contacts," Hinata answered.

"Oh that reminds me! I was wonder, what's up with those weird eyes of yours?" Hinata looked down, depressed that Naruto thought her eyes were weird. When Naruto noticed this, he quickly added, "I didn't mean it in a bad way! I mean, my whisker marks are kinda weird, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with that."

"I k-kinda think they m-make you l-look cute," Hinata said, too quietly for Naruto to hear.

"Hm, what was that?"

"N-nothing. A-anyway, my c-clan possesses a kekkei genkai." Naruto looked confused. "T-they're abilities that are p-passed down and can't be t-taught. My kekkei genkai i-is called t-the Byakugan. M-my eyes g-give me near 360 degree v-vision, see t-through most s-solid objects, and see c-chakra."

"Woah, your eyes are awesome!" Naruto shouted, making Hinata turn red as a tomato. "Wait, so why are you hiding them?"

"L-like I said, only the Hyūga h-have the Byakugan. A-and because of t-that, people c-come after o-our eyes." Naruto grew angry at that. "I n-need to h-hide my e-eyes so as n-not to a-attract attention."

"Who would dare try to hurt you for your eyes?" Naruto said angrily. It sickened him to think of the lengths people would go to for power.

"W-well, the H-hidden Cloud tried w-when I was 5. B-but my father stopped m-my kidnapper."

"Alright, I see your point. I'd hate for anything to happen to you." Hinata blushed red once more, then finished. Now her eyes were dark purple with pupils.

"So, um w-where are we going Naruto?"


	2. Chapter 2 Mr Nine Meets Mr Eight

A/N: The next chapter is here! Naruto and Hinata continue their journey. Hope you like it! Remember to review and check out my other stories!

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Chapter 2 Mr. Nine meets Mr. Eight

Naruto and Hinata have been traveling north-east for a few days. The day after they fled the village, they traveled to a nearby town and were lucky to find a place that sold storage scrolls with camping supplies. Hinata didn't bring any money so Naruto paid with money he saved over the . She apologised for her carelessness, but Naruto said his wallet Froggy needed to lose a few pounds anyway. They didn't really run into any trouble, thanks to Hinata's Byakugan (Remember, she has purple colored contact lenses with a pupil on). She also helped Naruto hide their tracks, since it was likely her father would send some Hyūga trackers to find her. Now they were walking through the forest near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.

"Well, here we go." Naruto commented. "If we didn't become missing nin when we left the village, we definitely will once they find out we've left."

"Um, a-actually Naruto, w-we c-can't become m-missing nin." Hinata said. When Naruto asked why, she answered, "W-we never graduated f-from the a-academy and became g-genin, so w-we aren't ninja, j-just civilians."

"Wait, so we didn't need to sneak away? And we can return without any repe… repor… Damn it!" Naruto thought about how to say the word he was thinking of.

"Repercussions?" Hinata offered.

"Exactly, that. Woo hoo! We can return and no one can punish us!" Naruto shouted, jumping around.

"Um, n-not true." Naruto stopped jumping looked at her confused. Hinata didn't want to spoil his good mood, but s "W-while no one c-can take l-legal action on us, I d-doubt my f-father or c-clan will s-simply f-forget or f-forgive my, unexcused d-departure." ' _In fact, I bet they'd seal me as soon as I returned.'_ Hinata thought to herself.

"Yeah, the old man would probably keep me away from ramen for at least year." Naruto shivered at the thought of going that long without ramen. "He probably is worried about me. Maybe I should send him a message telling him I'm alright." Naruto said as he looked back. He missed the Hokage, a lot. Hinata noticed the sad look on his face, but before she could say anything, he turned to her and smiled. "Though I bet he's glad he has less paperwork," he said, as he remembered all the times the Hokage complained about the paperwork Naruto caused with his pranks.

Hinata let out a silent sigh. She preferred his real smiles, not the ones he puts on to make people think he alright. It's something she noticed whenever they talked about home. Naruto always tried to focus on the positives in his life, but those were too few. Still, the mask allowed Naruto to push on, something she admired about him.

Hinata usually just listened to him, being as shy as she is. But sometimes Naruto tried to get more out of her, so she would talk about the times when her mother and uncle were alive.

As they crossed the border, Hinata activated her Byakugan. What she saw caused her eyes to widen. Naruto noticed this and asked, "What is it?"

She deactivated her bloodline and said, "S-someone with t-tons of chakra is h-headed this way." No sooner had she said that then a man landed in front of them, startling them.

The man had dark skin and blond hair, along with a goatee. He wore a pair of shades and had horn tattooed on his left cheek and another tattoo of the kanji for "iron" (or steel, I looked online and it said iron, but I rewatched an episode and someone said it was steel, so I'm confused) on his right shoulder. He wore a white scarf, a white flak jacket that only went over his left shoulder, had a red rope around his waist, and had grey pants. He also wore hand and shin guards and had seven swords with red hilts on his back. On his forehead a white protector that signified he was a ninja, but Naruto didn't recognise so symbol, all he knew was that this man was not from the Hidden Leaf. Hinata, however, grew very afraid.

"Woah, hey! What are you kids doing alone?/Again I ask, why you on your own?" The man rapped, which caused Hinata to momentarily forget her fear and both children to look at him funny.

"We're orphans, from a small nearby village. We both lost our parents and have been traveling to find a new home. I'm Menma and this is my friend Luna." Naruto said while Hinata nodded. They had agree on a back story and fake names during their second day away from the Leaf. "So um, who the heck are you?" Naruto asked.

The man smiled. "8-Tails, that be me!/Da rappin' Killer Bee! Yeah!"

"You have 8 tails?" Naruto asked, trying to get a look at his backside.

"No, though I hope this info don't make you flee./ I'm a jinchūriki, don't ya see."

" **Bee, you sure it's a good idea, telling these kids who you are? We have no idea who they are! And that blond, there's something odd about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it."** the 8-Tails said in Bee's mind while Naruto asked what a jinchūriki is.

' _I doubt these kids will be trouble/Though they seem to think I'm gullible,'_ Bee mental said, revealing that he did not believe their story. Naruto, meanwhile, tried to get his attention, while Hinata tried to tell him to stop.

" **Yeah, they weren't very convining. Fine, if you want to trust them, let me speak to them, so they don't have to decipher your ridiculous rhymes."**

Meanwhile, Naruto asked Hinata what had her so anxious. "H-his h-headband," she whispered.

Naruto looked at Bee's headband, then back at Hinata. "What about it?"

"T-the man w-who t-tried to k-kidnap me h-had the s-same s-symbol on h-his!" Naruto's eyes widened. "H-he's from t-the H-hidden C-cloud!"

Both of them started to back away when they heard Bee grumble something an octopus with no appreciation for rap. "Hey, wait, yo/Don't ya wanna met Eight'o?"

"Um, thanks but uh, we gotta go." Naruto said, trying to get away from him for Hinata's sake, though he was curious who this 'Eight'o' is. The two of them walked past him until they were out of sight, then they broke into a run.

' _Hm, guess I scared them/Or they spotted a pretty gem._

" **You'll say anything for the sake of a rhyme, won't you? Anyway, for once I don't think that's it! The girl has been staring at your headband for sometime. And the boy… Wait, that chakra! I recognise it now!"**

' _What?'_

" **I don't believe it! That boy has the Nine-Tails sealed in him! But shouldn't he be...?"**

' _Woah, what a find!/This day sure has been kind!'_ Killer Bee thought.

" **Wait Bee!"** But Bee wasn't listening as he rushed toward the two children.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata were still running. "Don't worry Hinata," Naruto assured. "Even if he finds out, I won't let him or anyone take you! Believe it!" Hinata blushed and her heart swelled hearing Naruto care about her wellbeing.

But before they could get far, something whizzed past them and Bee ended up in front of them. Naruto positioned himself in front of Hinata, ready to fight if he needed to.

"Hey, no need for animosity/I ain't no monstrosity. I just learned something new/An interesting thing about you, fool!"

Hinata's heart stopped. ' _Did he find out I'm a Hyūga? But my contacts should have hidden my Byakugan! Is he gonna try to take me? We can't outrun him and… Oh no, and Naruto might get hurt, or worse!'_

"I must say, is this fate/The day Mr. Nine meets Mr. Eight!" Bee rapped, pointing at Naruto when he said Mr. Nine, confusing both runaways.

"Mr. Nine? I not Mr. Nine! I'm Na… err Menma." Naruto mentally berated himself. He still wasn't use to using the fake names.

"Hey no need falsehood/'cause you're part of the brotherhood. So with info no need to be retainers/Since the the two of us are both containers! The two of us are jinchūriki, fool ya fool!"

"Quit rapping and start making sense! What do you mean I'm a container, what brotherhood, and for the last time, WHAT THE HELL IS A JINCHŪRIKI?" Naruto yelled, really getting annoyed. It wasn't the rapping so much as what he was saying. It confused him to no end and the man in front of him wasn't offering a proper explanation, like he was suppose to instantly know what he was talking about.

However, Hinata's mind was rapidly piecing things together. ' _His chakra levels are abnormally high, like Naruto's, but his can be attributed to years of training. He mentioned something called the 8-Tails, which I imagine is somehow related to the Nine-Tails, and being a container. He referred to himself as Mr. Eight and if I remember correctly, jinchūriki means...'_ Hinata gasped silently. ' _Power of human sacrifice! He hold the 8-Tails inside him! Like a scroll holds a kunai, sort of. He said Naruto was one too, and he called him Mr…"_ She gasped again, this time it was audible and attracted the attention of both Naruto and Bee. ' _Nine! It makes sense now! Why he has so much chakra even though he's barely begun ninja training. The way the villager spoke of him! He holds the Nine-Tailed Fox!'_

"Hey, Luna!" Naruto shouted, driving her from her thoughts. "What is it? What are you thinking?"

"Naruto," Hinata said softly, disregarding the fact that she just revealed his name to Bee. Naruto realised whatever Hinata was thinking must have been important, so he gave her his full attention. "What he's saying is, that he holds something called the 8-Tails." Surprisingly, she didn't stutter once during that sentence.

"Oh, so he holds something with 8 tails, not that he himself has 8 tails" Naruto said, while Bee nodded, realising Naruto had no idea about his burden. "But wait, I don't have anything in me."

"I, I don't t-think t-that's t-true." Hinata said, her stutter returning. Naruto looked at her funny and was about to ask what she meant when she spoke again. "F-from w-what he's s-said, I think…" Hinata stopped. This was gonna hard to tell him, but he deserved to know what happened to him. "I t-think the Fourth Hokage s-sealed the Nine-Tails in you."

Naruto stared at her in disbelief. "T-that's a joke, right?" he said with a forced chuckle, "You need to work on your humor, ya know." Hinata just kept looking down. He turned to the cloud shinobi. "Oh, she's such a kidder. Ha ha ha."

Bee shook his head. "The news might make you blue/But what she just said is absolutely true. The tailed beast share a special connection/So Eight'o answer leaves little objection. He says the Nine-Tails is in you/So you don't need anymore of a clue."

Naruto's eyes widened as the revelation hit home. He wanted to deny it more, he wanted to continue thinking they were pulling his leg, but as he thought about the villagers back home, all the insults and the things the said as they beat him, he could only accept it as the truth. "I… I've got…" Naruto dropped to his knees.

Bee looked at his fellow jinchūriki with sadness. " **Give him time. He's young and this is a lot for him to take in."** Being a jinchūriki is never easy, all of them suffer hardship and rejection, but some had it easier than others. Bee, for example, knew exactly what he was in for and was able to mentally prepare himself before they seal the tailed beast in him. And he had his brother A. It was his relationship with his adoptive brother that helped him bear it and eventually control the 8-Tails's power.

Hinata couldn't bear to see Naruto in such a state, so she hugged him from behind, her shyness temporarily casted aside. "If it's any consolation, I don't care whether you've got the fox in you or not," she whispered in his ear. "You'll always be Naruto Uzumaki, the #1 hyperactive ninja." ' _And I promise you never be alone, 'cause I'll always be by your side! And I never go back on my word! 'Cause that's my ninja way too!'_ she mentally added as she remembered how Naruto would shout out his ninja way.

Naruto was relieved to hear Hinata say that. It was comforting that she didn't think of him the same way as the villagers did. And it left him with an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. He didn't know what it was so he pushed it out of his mind for the moment and focused on this new revelation. ' _Ok, I have the Nine-Tails in me. The very same demon that attacked the village the day I was born and killed many people, including my parents, whoever they were. But why? Why me? Why'd the Fourth seal it in me? Did my parents know? Or did they die before it happened?_ These thoughts ran through his mind. ' _No matter, I won't let this stop me! I'll become a powerful shinobi that people respect! Believe it!'_

"Thanks, I'm better now." he said, standing up. He still hadn't completely accepted it, but he couldn't let it hold him back. "Um, H… err Luna, you can let go now." Hinata realised she was still hugging Naruto and released him, blushing red and missing his warmth. "Hey, what's wrong? Your really red all of a sudden. You sick or something?" Naruto asked, noticing her red face. Hinata shook her head while desperately trying to get her blush under control.

" **Hey, Bee, I still want to speak to them. Bring them into your mindscape. Just make sure to warn them about my appearance."**

"Yo, Eight'o wants to speak/So when you see him, don't freak. Just bump fists with me." He held his fists out and waited. Naruto looked at Hinata, letting her choose what they do.

Hinata was conflicted. A part of her wanted to run. He was a cloud ninja, just like the one that tried to kidnap her when she was five! If he found out who she was… She didn't want to know what was in store for her. And yet another part of her was… Well, she didn't know what it was. Curiousity? Did she think he was trustworthy or something? Hinata didn't know. All she knew was that this part of her was telling her to bump fists with him.

"Um, I g-guess it couldn't h-hurt." Naruto nodded and they both bumped fists with Bee. The moment their knuckles collided, the world went dark.

A second later, they were no longer in the forest. They were surrounded by rocky mountains, with a lake in front of them. But they barely noticed the change in landscape because they were staring at a giant octopus with two arms, a snout, and three bull horns, and that's because one seemed to have been cut off, revealing it used to have four horns. The beast was in the water and sitting on top of it's head was Killer Bee.

Hinata was afraid but Naruto looked excited. "Woah, cool! It's a giant… uh one, two, three…" Naruto was counting the tentacles, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

" **I'm the Eight-Tails, and these tentacles are considered my tails."**

"Oh, so you're an octopus. I didn't whether you were that or a squid, ya know." Again, sweatdrop.

" **O-k, that aside, how about telling me and Bee your real names. Not the ones you tried to trick us with."**

Naruto gave off a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess we couldn't fool you huh."

" **Better liars than you have tried."**

"Well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto shouted.

"H-Hinata," she said, barely audible. She withheld her last name.

" **Hmm, rare to see a young Hyūga out here, especially one without a seal,"** the Eight-Tails said causing Hinata to back away in fear.

As Naruto stood protectively in front of her, she asked, "H-how d-did y-you…"

" **We're in Bee's mindscape. These are not your physical bodies, so we can see your eyes as they really are. In fact, it's only because you humans have such a strong sense of modesty regarding your bodies that you don't appear naked."** This caused Hinata to blush deeply and subconsciously cover herself, even though she was fully dress. Naruto looked at her and saw the Eight-Tails was right. Hinata's eyes were as they normally were, lavender and pupiless.

"Hey, no need to fear for ye/You'll be safe thanks to the mighty Killer Bee! Whee!"

Eight-Tails flicked him in the head. " **Just once, could you speak without rapping!"**

"No way Eight'o, let me make this clear/I'm gonna be the best rapper, ya hear! Yeaaaah!"

The Eight-Tails sighed. " **Anyway, we were against the kidnapping 2 years ago, but the Raikage desperately wanted the Byakugan, so he didn't listen to us. So don't worry, your secret is safe with us."**

Hinata still had some doubt, but she decided to believe them for the moment. "T-thank you, L-lord Eight-Tails, L-lord Bee."

"This one, she knows to show respect!/Her manners, she did not neglect! But, oh my/She's really shy."

" **Still, I'm curious, what are an unsealed Hyūga and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki doing this faraway from the Hidden Leaf unsupervised."**

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other, as though having a silent converastion. They nodded at each other and gave them a brief explanation of their situation. When they were done, Bee and Eight-Tails nodded in understanding, at least for Naruto case. They were surprised to hear how Hinata had been treated by her family and gave both their condulences. " **Naruto, Hinata, tell me, what are your plans?"**

Hinata was hesitent to reveal their intentions, but Naruto immediately shouted "Simple, we're gonna be powerful and highly respected ninja! Believe it!"

" **And just how do you plan on doing that outside of your village?"** Naruto and Hinata thought for a moment but neither could come up with an answer. " **Figured as much. You're wandering around the Elemental Nation with a goal but no plan on how to achieve it! You've been lucky so far, but even with the Byakugan you could only evade the dangers of the world for so long! In fact, it's a miracle you've made it this far! Now I have an idea, but you may not like it Hinata."**

"W-what is it L-lord Eight-Tails."

"Oh, now I see!/You want them to come home with me! Sweet!"

"W-what?!" Hinata said, shocked.

" **Don't worry, your true identities will be kept a secret from Bee's brother the Raikage, even Naruto's. No one else will know your a Hyūga nor that Naruto is the current holder of the fox."**

"W-wait. Y-you said c-current holder, l-like the Leaf h-had o-other people c-contain the fox."

"Hey, she's right! What'd do you mean by current holder? I'm the only holder!" Naruto said.

" **No, you're not. You see, me and my brethren, the other tailed beasts, were given to the other nations by the First Hokage to create a balance of power among the Elemental Nations. Myself and the Two-Tails were given to the Cloud. Which reminds me, we'll need to her jinchūriki about you, Naruto, but don't worry, she's trustworthy. Anyway, at the time the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Mito Senju, the wife of the First Hokage. I don't know who came after her, however."**

"Wait, so if the Nine-Tails was sealed away, how'd he attack the village?"

" **I'm not sure, but you can ask him yourself when you learn to speak with him, if that stubborn old fox decides to say anything, that is. Most likely, the previous host lost control."**

"Lost control?" Naruto asked, confusion written all over his face. Hinata also wanted to know what he meant.

" **The relationship between me and Bee is, well, unique. All my previous hosts died because of my attempts for freedom. I even tried to kill Bee here many times, but we ended up becoming partners."**

"So tailed beasts try to kill their hosts?"

" **Hey! How would you feel if you were stuffed into someone against your will in order to be used as a weapon?"** the Eight-Tails argued.

After a moment of silence, Naruto answered, "Pretty pissed," he admitted.

" **Yes and the Nine-Tails will try to take over your body and escape as well, but we can discuss this later, if you'll come with us."**

"The choice is all yours/If you do I'll give you tours! But if you say no/I'll let you go!"

Again, Naruto left the decision to Hinata. Naturally, she was reluctant to accept their offer. They were asking her to join a village that tried to kidnap her! And who knows who else! And she had only met them today, and for such a short amount of time! How could she put this much trust in them?

But it's not like they had many options. And they were right. For the duration of their trip they've managed to avoid conflict thanks to her eyes and a lot of luck. But that could only take them so far. One day their luck would run out, or they'd run out of money or food, and then what? The two of them hadn't even completed their first year at the academy, so if they got in a fight, they would lose easily. And finally, there was Naruto. If Bee and the Eight-Tails were right, the Nine-Tails would eventually try to escape and kill Naruto in the process! But if he had the help of his fellow jinchūriki…

"Ok, w-we'll go w-with you." Hinata answered.

"You sure?" Naruto whispered. He knew Hinata was afraid of going. "We really don't have to go if you don't want to, ya know."

"I, I'm not e-exactly e-excited to go," Hinata admitted, "But it's n-not like we h-have any b-better ideas. A-and as long as n-no one know a-about my e-eyes, I'll be f-fine."

"Alright then, to the Cloud it is!"

"Yeah! This is gonna be sweet!/But first let's get something to eat!" Naruto's stomach rumbled in agreement.

" **Yes, let's go to the former Hidden Hot Springs Village. We'll eat, relax, and discuss your disguises, if the Raikage doesn't find us first."**

"What you mean?" Naruto asked.

"My bro can be pretty overprotective/So I've made getting a vacation my objective!"

" **Ever since the death of his father, the previous Raikage, Bee's brother A has tried to keep him in the village as much as possible to keep him safe. So Bee likes to sneak out from time to time, like now. I know you have more questions, but we seem to have company."**

Before they could ask what he meant, everything went black for a moment again and they were back in the forest with Bee. But they weren't alone. Four bandits had them surrounded. The two on their right looked like twins, since they both looked alike. They had short, black hair, brown eyes, and were big. One wore a grey short-sleeve shirt and black pants with a longsword on his back. His brother wore a black short-sleeve shirt and dark blue pants with dual war axes in his hands.

On the left, one was a man and the other was the woman. The man had short, brown hair and brown eyes, wore a sleeveless black shirt, a long-sleeved grey jacket, grey gloves, and brown pants, but had no visible weapons. Taking a quick look with her Byakugan, using her hands to cover the veins, Hinata saw that he kept ten kunai in his jacket and from his chakra network, he had some ninja training, chunin or jonin she wasn't sure. The woman had long blond hair with green eyes, wore a white tank top and blue shorts, and had a katana on her waist.

"Well, look what we got here. Two brats and a lone Cloud shinobi." the woman said, smirking as she drew her katana. One of the brothers drew his longsword and held it with both hands. "Hand over all your valuables and you can be on your way."

"No way!" Naruto yelled as he rushed at the woman, fist raised. She easily sidestepped his punch, then backhanded him, sending Naruto back and onto the ground.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted with concern.

"Ow," Naruto slowly got up. "Lucky hit, but this time I'll…" He was interrupted when Bee put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Woah, though I admire the passion in your soul/Right now I need ya to slow your roll, fool ya fool! These guys here are out of your league!Fighting them would leave you in defeat with fatigue. So leave it to me/The mighty Killer Bee!"

"Ha, one ninja won't be enough to beat us! Right boss?" the twin with the axes yelled. His boss didn't answer, he just continued to stare at Bee. "Um, boss?"

"Stay out of this if you don't wanna die," he said coldly as he stepped forward. Directing his attention to Bee, he spoke again. "You're the Jinchūriki of the 8-Tails, aren't you?"

"That's Lord 8-Tails sir, to you. No wait! You say, 'Are you Lord Jinchūriki sir?'! Got it?" Bee said.

"I am Nero, formerly of the Hidden Stone." Bee was about to ask what he wanted when Nero went through a series of hand signs. "Lava Style: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!"

Multiple molten rocks shot from his mouth. Bee quickly grabbed Naruto and Hinata and jumped out of the way. When he landed, he yelled at them to run to cover. They complied, Naruto grudgingly so. "Yo, what you want with me?/Why you wanna fight the Bee, fool ya fool!"

"I want your tailed beast." Bee was shocked to hear this. "I was the sensei of Roshi, the 4-Tails jinchuriki. I've seen how strong he was by himself, but when he used the 4-Tails power, he was on a completely different level! So I tried to take that power for myself!" He pulled on the sleeve of his jacket to reveal severe burns on his arms. "This was the result, and I was forced to flee my village, becoming a rogue ninja. But I've gotten stronger since that day, and now I will take and harness the power of the 8-Tails!"

"Fool/8-Tails ain't no tool!"

"Of course they are! All tailed beasts just mindless beasts, tools to be used. Some just can't handle the immense power they possess!"

" **DAMN HIM! HOW DARE HE SPEAK OF US LIKE THAT! WE TAILED BEAST ARE NOT MINDLESS ANIMALS!"** the 8-Tails roared from inside Bee. He hated how most humans were like this. Meanwhile, Naruto heard growling, but when he looked around, he didn't see any animals that it could have come from.

"You've insulted my friend/Something I don't commend! This battle you initiated/I'll leave y'all humiliated! Yeeeah!"

" **Show him what you got Bee! Use my power if you have too."**

' _Hm, for sure! But too much chakra I don't dare/Lest it signal my brother like a flare!' I'll start out alone/See if I can handle him on my own.'_

Bee drew two of his seven swords, twirling them in his hands before leaping at his opponent. Nero drew two kunai and prepared to block as Bee slashed in a scissor-like way, but noticed Bee's blades were starting to cut into his weapons and realised lightning chakra was being channeled into them. Nero ducked as Bee's swords sliced above him, then flipped back as Bee swiped at his legs. ' _He uses lightning style, so earth style jutsu is out.'_ Throwing his kunai into the air, he performed another series of handsigns and took a deep breath. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Nero launched a large fireball from his mouth, which Bee countered by spitting ink. "There are more uses for ink/Than what most would think, ya know!"

' _Hey, 'ya know' is my thing!'_ Naruto thought as Nero caught his kunai.

"Hm, I imagine the ink comes from your tailed beast. Just more proof of the power of a tailed beast." He rush at Bee, ducking under his slash while attempting his own. Bee shifted his body to the left in order to dodge, then went to backhand his head. Nero caught this and kneed him in the gut. Bee recovered quickly and leaped right when Nero tried to stab him in the face. He then performed a lariat and knocked him through a tree.

Nero got back on his feet groaning in pain. "I'm not done yet." Nero launched more molten rocks at Bee. Bee tried to dodge them all, but just as he avoided one, another appeared right in front of him. There was a small explosion where Bee was and Nero smirked, until the smoke cleared, revealing Bee in a translucent Tailed Beast cloak! 2 chakra tails were crossed in from of him. With a burst of speed, Bee dashed forward and unleashed a flurry of strikes! Nero did his best to dodge and parry as much as he could, but between Eight-Tails chakra and Bee natural skill with a blade, he was quickly overpowered and found himself covered in cuts. During a brief pause, Nero jumped back and stood hunched over, clutching his right forearm, which had a deep cut.

"Yo, my power's a flash/With some still in my stash, fools!" Bee rapped.

Nero looked at his subordinates, who were shocked at that their boss was losing the fight. "We're leaving!" The bandits all dropped smoke pellets and disappeared.

"You can come out. The danger is past/But I doubt that was the last."

"Woah, that's cool!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at Bee cloak.

"This here's my Tailed Beast cloak, yo/You learn it later bro!"

" **Speaking of later, we better move now. No doubt that fight attracted attention. And since we don't know how far away A and Cee are, the sooner the better."**

"Eight'o says to move/A plan I approve."

"Alright, let's go! Just you wait everyone. Naruto Uzumaki is gonna be the strongest there is, believe it!" Naruto shouted as he followed Bee. Hinata walked with them, wondering how she ended up going to the last place she wanted to go following a shinobi who raps everything he says.

' _At least I'm traveling with Naruto,'_ she thought, while silently praying he doesn't ever take up rap.  
-

Alpha: Finally done with this chapter. And don't think that's the last Nero and his gang!

Choji: Why Nero?

Alpha: First name to pop in my head.

Naruto: What about the Leaf?

Alpha: Something for another chapter.

Naruto: The next one?

Alpha: I don't know, most likely. But you, Hinata, and Bee will meet someone not from the Cloud?

Orochimaru: Is it me?

Alpha: Maybe.

Konan: Is it me?

Alpha: Maybe.

Kurotsuchi: Me?

Alpha: Maybe.

Shino: Is 'maybe' the only answer you'll give?

Alpha: May… wait um, what was that last question?

Shino: Never mind, I have my answer. ' _I hope it's me so I stand out.'_

Alpha: Anyway, may be awhile before I update this story as I have other ones to work on.


	3. Chapter 3 Pervert and Raikage

A/N: Naruto and Hinata are now with the rapping Killer Bee. It's gonna be a pain doing all though rhymes though. Still, enjoy and review! By the way, I won't be updating this fic until I reach the Chunin Exams in the Rain and Sound fics, so please be patient. Also I recently learned Menma is the name of a ingredient used in ramen. Just something interesting to mention.

Chapter 3: The Pervert and the Raikage

"Yo, we are here/And you didn't disappear." Bee rapped as he, Naruto, and Hinata entered the former Hidden Hot Springs. The place had tons of people going to the various inns, stands, hot springs, etc… "Let's get something to eat/It'll be my treat. Eat your fill/I'll take care of the bill."

"Alright go look for some ramen!" Naruto shouted, his mouth watering at the prospect of eating all the ramen he could. Poor Bee was unaware of the mistake he made and would learn to regret it.

Hinata continued to follow nervously, doubt filling her head. ' _What am I doing? Why am I doing this? I'm following a Cloud shinobi!'_ Since traveling, she was plagued by the memories of that night, when the Head Shinobi sent by the Cloud kidnapped her from her own bed. And every time, she would shiver at the memory. ' _But, I can't turn back now. Naruto needs this. If Bee can help him with the Nine-Tails, I need to endure.'_

"And you?" Bee asked Hinata, shaking her from her thought. He wasn't oblivious to her plight. She was scared outta her mind, being so close to someone from the village that tried to take her away when she was young. He hoped Yugito would help alleviate some of her fears or at least make her feel more comfortable. "Pick your treat/Something sour or sweet."

"Oh, um, m-may I h-have some c-cinnamon rolls?" she asked.

"Alright, here we go/To eat and leave any woe!" Naruto ran out in front, anxious to get some ramen. As Bee looked at him, he found himself remembering an encounter during the Third Great Shinobi War.

 **"He certainly does look like him. And I'm sure no one could forget the look of the only man to ever beat the Raikage in speed. Think we should tell him?"**

' _Nah, though his look is a clue/We don't know if it's true.'_

"Lord Hiashi, please tell us why you did not feel the need to inform us beforehand of your eldest's sudden training excursion." A Hyūga elder asked. The others nodded, wondering the same thing.

"I saw no reason too. After all, I am clan head and she is my daughter and heir," Hiashi replied his face betraying no emotion nor deceit.

"Then let us hope this training bears fruit, otherwise she will be deemed unfit to inherit your position and will be sealed and placed in the branch family while the position will goes to your youngest."

Hiashi wanted to scowl. He remembered when the Hyūga council demanded Hanabi be sealed when she was born. It took all he had to prevent that from happening to her, saying she may prove to be a better candidate than Hinata. The council chose to allow this. However, this made them observe Hinata's progress more critically. And even though Hanabi had yet to start her taijutsu training, they found they had high hopes for her. However, until the use of the Caged Bird Seal ended, one of his daughter would always be at risk. And while he did want to end it, Hiashi also wanted to protect the Byakugan's secrets, and he knew that as long as they lived in this cursed Shinobi World, doing so without the use of their curse mark was not possible.  
 _-_

Naruto walked up front completely satisfied, while Killer Bee dragged behind in a sour mood. **"I did warn you about the joint metabolism of a jinchūriki and an Uzumaki,"** Eight-Tails said. **"But no, you still let him eat as much as he wanted."**

' _Guess that makes me the fool/Man, this is so not cool.'_

"So, what now Octopops?" Naruto asked.

Bee didn't seem bothered by the nickname Naruto gave him. "Now we relax, then grab some dye/And then, that stuff we do apply." He lead them to the nearest hot spring and entered. The two children were about to do the same when they heard giggling.

"Hmm, what's that?" Naruto wondered. They followed the sound and leaning from behind a wall they found an older looking man scribbling in a notepad. He had spiky white hair and wore a short green kimono shirt with matching pants. Over it was a red kimono-like jacket. He was looking through a hole in the wall and giggling. Naruto could hear the sound of women on the other side and realized what the man was doing. "That pervert is peeping!" he exclaimed loudly.

Hinata's eyes widened. She was very self-conscious about her body. She just tolerated other women looking at her form. So suffice to say she did not like peepers. Of course, few women do.

Meanwhile, the man heard Naruto, and so did the women in the hot springs. He started to run away when Naruto tripped him, then ran away, Hinata in tow. The man got up, only to find himself surrounded by towel-clad women. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but they all had a murderous look on their faces. And so the beat down began.

In the end, the pervert had many bumps and bruises. ' _That hurt, but at least Tsunade wasn't here, otherwise I'd be dead.'_ He heard laughter coming from behind the wall and went to investigate.

"Ha, serves him right!" Naruto said as he held his sides. Hinata could help but snickered as she agreed. He was violating their privacy.

"So, you brats are the ones who interrupted my research." The children turned and found the peeping tom looking at them. Now that they saw his face, they noticed he had a red line coming down each eye, a small wart on the left side of his nose, and a headband with the kanji for oil. Hinata concluded that he was a ninja, but from what village, she did not know.

"Research? All you were doing was looking naked women! You're nothing but a pervert!" Naruto shouted.

"I am not just a pervert!" the man shouted. "I'm a super pervert!" he corrected, making two peace signs.

Naruto and Hinata just facefaulted. "How on Earth is that any better?" he shouted when he got back up. "And just who the heck are you?"

The man grinned, as he was waiting for that. "I'm glad you kids ask!" he said, shaking his hair around. He back away a little and took a pose, lifting his left leg slightly and leaning on his right. His right was stretched forward while he had his left hand over his head. "I am the legend from Mt. Myoboku!" He switched sides so his right leg was up, and his hands' positions switched. "A lover of women and the envy of all men, I am the great toad sage!" He summoned a large orange toad and stand atop of it. "I am… Jiraiya!" He notices the girl's purple eyes widen in realization. ' _Heh, I'm so cool.'_

"Toad sage? More like Pervy Sage." Jiraiya fell off the toad's back at the boy's comment.

Hinata leaned over to Naruto and whispered. "N-Naruto, h-he's a s-shinobi f-from the Leaf. O-one of the L-legendary Sannin." Naruto looked at her confused. He didn't know who the sannin were. But he was worried when she said he was a Leaf ninja.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was mumbling about disrespectful blonds when he finally noticed something. The boy looked a lot like his late student, Minato! Same spiky blond hair, same blue eyes. However, his facial structure was different, but still familiar. ' _Could that be… No, he's safe in the village with sensei and Kakashi watching over him.'_ Still, it nagged him, so he asked, "Hey brat, what's your name?"

"Me?" Naruto asked, pointing at himself. "Well, first of all, I'm not a brat! And second of all, I'm Menma, Menma Uzumaki! Believe it!"

' _Ah, see, what am I getting worried about. That's not Naruto, that's some other kid who happens to look a bit like Minato,'_ Jiraiya convinced himself, though a part of him was still suspicious about it. "Well, I'll have you two know I was doing research for my book. And now my publisher and loyal readers will have to wait longer for the next one. I hope you two are happy with yourselves."

"If this book of yours requires you to look at naked women, I doubt it's all that good," Naruto commented. A tick mark formed on the toad sage's head, but Naruto ignored it and grabbed Hinata's arm. "Anyway, we gotta go. Later Pervy Sage."

"Oi! The name's Jiraiya and you will address me as such!" But Naruto and Hinata had already left. The toad sage sighed. "Kids these days don't know how to respect their elders. Still, with that Menma kid, I can't shake the feeling… No, no he's fine." He looked to where the kids went. "I being crazy. Why would he be all the way out here? I just send sensei a message and ask about Naruto. That'll clear things up." He wrote a message and summoned a small red toad to deliver it. Then he headed inside the hot springs to relax.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata waited outside the hot springs. Even though they had exposed Jiraiya earlier, Hinata still didn't feel comfortable going in, so Naruto volunteered to wait with her. She was glad, but she still protested, not wanting to keep him from relaxing. But Naruto refused to leave her alone. "Hey, since we're waiting, why don't we get started on our disguises?"  
 _-_

Meanwhile, in the men's area of the hot springs, Killer Bee sunk deeply in the water. "Ah, this is nice/Well worth the price."

"You said it." The rapping jinchūriki looked to his left and saw the toad sage enter. "All that's missing is a view," he added, looking at the wall separating the men and women.

Bee noticed some bruising. "What happen to you/Tried to sneak a view?" he rapped with a smirk.

The toad sage nodded. "Couple of kids exposed me. Some blond and his girlfriend, both about 7. Brat not only interrupted my research, but had the nerve to call me Pervy Sage."

Bee looked around and realized Naruto was not with them. ' _Yo, Eight'o/Can you find Naruto?'_

 **"Give me some time to locate Nine-Tails's chakra. Still, it's a good thing he isn't here. You know who that is, right?"**

' _Course, fool, ya fool.'_ "So, when can I get a look/ At your next big book?" Bee asked.

"Ah, a fan," Jiraiya said, clearly pleased. "Well, it'll be a bit longer, but for now, how about an autograph."

"Alright, that'll be sweet/Glad I was lucky it was you I meet."

"There is… one condition," Jiraiya said. "You see, my godson, he's like you. A jinchūriki. I was hoping one day, you could help him."

Bee looks at him in surprise. ' _Think he means him?'_ "I wonder the identity/ of this jinchūriki?"

"I can't tell you his name, only that he holds the Nine-Tails."

"Hmm," Bee said in deep thought. "I'll talk to bro/Hope he doesn't say no."

"That's all I ask," Jiraiya said.

 **"Found him. I'll tell you where to go."**

"Well, I gotta go/Before I'm found by my bro."

"Yeah, heard about the Raikage's overprotective nature of you. Got one of my books on you?" Bee nodded as they both exited.  
 _-_

A red toad appeared in his office. Hiruzen wondered what his student wanted. When he opened the letter, his face dropped.

 _Sensei,_

 _Just wondering about my godson. Haven't seen him since he was barely a week old. I'm sure he's doing fine, but still, I'd like to know. Maybe I'll come visit him. Don't worry, I won't let him see me. I'll wait until he's a genin and see if he's inherited you know who's potential before we meet._

 _Oh, and some kids delayed the next book of the series, but I'll give you a heads up when it's out._

 _Jiraiya._

The old Hokage sighed. He was afraid of how Jiraiya would react when he learned Naruto had run off. However, he knew he need to know. Not only did he deserve to, but he need Jiraiya's network to find them, since Kakashi hadn't found anything yet. So he wrote a response, and gave it to the toad, who disappeared in a puff of smoke.  
 _-_

 **"Go left,"** Eight-Tails instructed. Bee turned the corner. He wasn't worried about them though, so he wasn't running but walking. **"I'm surprised your calm about this."**

' _No need to fear/We're just meeting our peer. I'm sure they're fine/Or there'd be something from Nine.'_

 **"True. Nine-Tails may not like humans, but he won't let something happen to the boy. Because if Naruto dies, he goes through reformation and trust me, it's not a pleasant experience at all. And if something happened to the girl, he'd pounce on the boy's moment of weakness."**

' _Same deal as you/And number two. Though, now we don't need to bother/Finding wondering about the father.'_

 **"True. Jiraiya's little slip up really cleared things up. And for the love of God, take a break from the raps!"**

Bee and Eight-Tails were about to get into yet another argument about that when they heard, "Hey Octopops!" He turned to Naruto, but were surprised by what he saw. Naruto had dyed his hair black and his eyes were red, mostly likely because of colored contacts like Hinata had. His whisker marks were still visible though. He wore a dark red jacket with orange stripes on the sleeves and black pants. Hinata had dyed her hair dark purple. Her eyes were still purple thanks to the contacts, and she wore a lavender jacket with white stripes and blue ninja pants. "What do ya think?"

"Nice job with the look/But you're not off the hook. We need to leave/So your goals we can achieve, fool ya fools." Bee said.

"Alright, I'm gonna get stronger, ya know! And then, I'll be Raikage, believe it!" Naruto shouted. He couldn't help but look forward to his new life.

"R-right," she replied softly. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea, but she had told them she would go and she would stick with it.

"Alright." Bee said. They walked away when Bee pulled out a red book. They heard him giggling as the exited the village, which worried them since it was similar to the Pervy Sage's.

"You… really like that book, I guess," Naruto said, trying to get a better look at the cover.

"Yeah, I like it, it's cool/But bro doesn't, the fool."

"Fool am I?" Bee stiffen and looked up in the trees to his left to see his brother A standing there with one bodyguard. A had dark skin, blond hair slicked back, and a small mustache and goatee. He had one a white haori with no shirt underneath. Large, golden vambraces were on his arms and he wore a big golden belt with the face of a boar on it. His pants were black with torn ends. Next to him was a man with blond hair the same shade as Naruto's was, as well as black eyes. He had on a white flak jacket like Bee's, a sleeveless black shirt underneath, as well as black pants. On his forehead was his protector with the Cloud symbol, had black armguards, and white and red shin guards like Bee's.

"Oh, bro, I…" But before he could finish, the Raikage jumped down and performed the Iron Claw technique, which basically him grabbing Bee's head and squeezing.

"Damn it Bee! How many times have I told you to stay in the village! Why don't you ever listen to me?" A shouted as he squeezed harder. Naruto was getting angry at how A treated his brother when he let go of his brother and put his hand on his shoulder. "I worry about you. As a jinchūriki, you're the target of our enemies. And I'd hate to lose my little brother." Naruto saw the genuine care in the Raikage's voice and figured he wasn't that bad, though if he tried to do anything bad to Hinata…

Hinata back away slowly. This was the man who ordered her kidnapping and got her uncle killed. ' _Oh man, what am I doing?'_ She started to hyperventilate until Naruto grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring look, one that said he'd protect her. She blushed but calmed down enough to get her breathing under control.

A look at the two children and asked, "Bee, who are these two kids with you?"

Bee moved back and put his hand on their shoulders. "Bro, these kids here/I'll say their names for you to hear." A sighed. He should have told Bee to tell him without the rap, not that he would have listened anyway. "Menma Uzumaki is his name/Being Raikage is his endgame."

A looked surprised. This boy was a member of the famous Uzumaki Clan, and he wanted to be Raikage. ' _Lets see what the future holds for him.'_ "And the girl?"

"Luna here's a bit shy/But she'll make a great ally."

' _Shy? She looks downright afraid of me. Then again, I am an imposing figure in the shinobi world.'_ "Relax, I won't hurt you, little one." A said, crouching in front of her and giving her a reassuring smile. "As Raikage, my role is a protector. Something I could do better if someone stayed in the village like I told them," he added as he sent a glare at Bee, who shrugged it off.

"Um, p-p-pleased to m-meet y-you, L-lord R-Raikage," she said with a bow.

' _She knows her manners, but still, I'll have to talk with Bee about her. Speaking of which…'_ The Raikage stood and faced his brother. "We're heading home, and you're telling me everything about these kids, and what you have planned for them, and," He learned into Bee's ear. "Do they know?"

"Yeah they do bro/They know about Eight'o." Bee said loudly. "It's alright/It didn't give them fright."

"Then maybe you should let Eight-Tails speak. I want to understand the situation as quickly as possible. C, we're leaving."

"Alright, Lord Raikage." The blond guy, C, jumped down and joined them.  
 _-_

Jiraiya threw the letter in frustration. ' _Naruto gone?! Damn it sensei what happened? How'd he get away from you?'_ Moved to pick up the letter again and continue reading it. Sensei asked him to use his network to find him quick. He also mentioned a photo of Naruto in the envelope. Looking at it he was shocked by what he saw. It was the boy from the hot springs! ' _He was right in front of me and I let him go!'_ Summoning two shadow clones, he began to search the entire village for his godson. ' _I should have known it was him!'  
_ _-_

Alpha: Well, this chapter's done.

Shino: It wasn't me in this chapter.

Alpha: What did you expect?

Shino: I expected to be in this fic.

Alpha: Wait until the Chunin Exams.

Shino: Will I stand out?

Alpha: Maybe. Maybe not. Wait and see.

Shino: Fine. (He leaves)

Jiraiya: Fic me is right to be glad Tsunade wasn't there. She nearly killed me last time.

Alpha: I bet Konan and Sakura would do so if you peeped on them.

Jiraiya: Maybe. I did train Konan and Sakura is like a miniature Tsunade.

Alpha: And Tenten would turn you into a pincushion.

Jiraiya: Possible.

Alpha: Kurenai would probably…

Jiraiya: I get it! The women in my world are scary when catching a peeping tom, but there's an easy solution.

Alpha: Don't peep?

Jiraiya: Don't get caught.


End file.
